Or perhaps together Evil Lord Cor & Lady Frab were once a half-bird half-cat monster, The Siamese Falcon…

… that reproduced asexually by splitting into the 2 villains that we know & fear today.

& then produced 1 royal heir each, Helga & Will. A chaste peck on the cheek from Helga has the power to restore Will, and

Will & Hans (Hans… Solonomore…) can again be a bickering couple? All things possible in parallel world of Starling Wars...

Tobermory arrives at nunnery but it is deserted. Where has everyone gone? Even the birds in the trees are silent

Tobermory finds a half-burnt map. He makes out the words 'Nazca lines' and the shape of a hummingbird. "To Peru"

Somewhere in Peru, Tobermory on an alpaca, map in hand, seeking directions to Nazca and lines. Herdsman appears ....

Herdsman regards Tobermory with amusement: "Nazca, señor? You'll need more than an Alpaca if you want to get there"

"Kind sir, pray tell how I should arrive there. I seek my kin with a map saying 'Nazca lines'. I know not of this"

Herdsman "Only from above do the Nazca lines show their wonder. Do you fly, young traveller?"

Tob'mory sighs: "Flight is the one thing I cannot do, señor. I must find the hummingbird symbol. Would you guide me?"

]]>http://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-latest-line-by-line/feed0Would you like to help write the Royal Opera House blog?http://www.roh.org.uk/news/would-you-like-to-help-write-the-royal-opera-house-blog
http://www.roh.org.uk/news/would-you-like-to-help-write-the-royal-opera-house-blog#commentsFri, 21 Aug 2009 09:20:20 +0000Royal Opera Househttp://royaloperahouse.wordpress.com/?p=187Are you a blogger or an aspiring journalist who is interested in opera, music, ballet or dance? If so, then we'd like to hear from you. The Royal Opera House is looking for an enthusiastic team of writers and bloggers to contribute to the Royal Opera House blog.

We would like people to help us round-up media coverage and reviews and report on key events at the Royal Opera House as well as in the wider world of opera and ballet. Work will be commissioned on a monthly basis and may involve occasional visits to the Royal Opera House; from time-to-time, this may mean attending events or performances, and work will be engaged on a freelance basis, at a standard fee. We’re particularly interested in hearing from you if you are happy to take photographs and aren’t afraid to turn on a video camera.

If you are interested in contributing and have an existing blog or online portfolio that you can share, please email your details to website@roh.org.uk, using “ROH Blog” as the subject line. We would like to commission the first round of content w/c 7 September, so if you would like to be considered for this please ensure we have your details before 3 September. We will try to reply to all interested parties, but please understand that this may not be possible.

]]>http://www.roh.org.uk/news/would-you-like-to-help-write-the-royal-opera-house-blog/feed0Twitter Opera: The Story So Far, Act-By-Acthttp://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-the-story-so-far-act-by-act
http://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-the-story-so-far-act-by-act#commentsTue, 18 Aug 2009 10:21:28 +0000Royal Opera Househttp://royaloperahouse.wordpress.com/?p=179Here's the story of the Twitter Opera so far:

Full summaries of the extraordinary Tweets that have taken us up to Act 7 of the Twitter-written opera. So far, there are nuns, demons, a bird man, misery, vengeance and love.

Tobermory appears and confronts Helga; she is rather unhappy and declares that he must not underestimate her again. He is followed by an axe-wielding Mother Superior, who has come to protect Helga. She lunges at Tobermory but Helga intervenes - the cat is her son! He was transformed to feline form by imbibing a potion.

Mother Superior gasps: "No, I cannot believe that lie! Tobermory must die!" She swings the axe again; Helga goes to protect her son, and in doing so loses her little finger. The drop of maternal blood falls upon the cat and he transforms into a human form.

Helga is beside herself as she watches her son distort: "I need to end my awful plight ... I have been foolish in this life to care more for science than those I love." Mother Superior takes pity upon Helga and - swinging her axe - says, "I shall commit thee to the dark". BUT! William the birdman swoops to earth and gathers Helga into this wings.

A policewoman appears, in pursuit of Mother Superior. The nun outsmarts her and goes on the run, singing, "You shall not take me down, I run from this godly town."

William's grasp weakens and he drops Helga to the ground. She is dead. Tobermory (now a human) swears to avenge his mother.

Act Seven, Scene One

Helga is not-yet dead. She entreats the body of the Basement Cat to come to her assistance; her bag explodes and she is engulfed in a welter of flame, only to emerge with a pair of beautiful wings upon her back.

Holding Mother Superior's axe aloft, she flies after William, singing that she has realised her mistake: "A bird in the HANS is worth two in the bush, finally I understand."

Act Seven, Scene Two

Tobermory is at a dark cave; he has gone in search of a dragon who might assist him. But instead he finds the demons Fraberoom and Celine, whom he begs to come to his aid in his battle against William.

Act Seven, Scene Three - an idyllic distraction

Hans is asleep in the forest. He is hungry and dreams of a really good seafood restaurant, managed by the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock.

Act Seven, Scene Four

Corbin is holding court, sitting in a tree and surveying his minions. He spies the Mother Superior sitting below, hiding behind a rock, and outlining her dastardly plan: "I will not be caught / I need that scientist Helga in short".

Corbin lands upon Mother Superior's rock and says that William has gone to Umberworld: Kingdom of the Birds, and that Helga was seen in pursuit. He offers to fly Mother Superior to Umberworld, providing she becomes one of his flock.

Act Seven, Scene Five

In Umberworld, William is tweeting to himself, demanding to be made a man. The birds sit around and listen to his plight.

Act Seven, Scene Six

Helga has abandoned her pursuit of William and returned to the convent. She hears a flood of birdsong and regrets her earlier quest for vengeance.

Helga realises that boys and birds are getting in the way of her life’s work and retires to a convent, to benefit from the superior facilities.

Act 4, Scene 2

Helga settles into the convent (which happens to be in Bolivia); after discussing matters with a Stern Nun, she discovers that Corbin, King of the Birds, is not to be trusted and has meddled in the love affairs of others.

Act 4, Scene 3

Helga goes to the Chapel with Stern Nun and the Mother Superior; they find the body of the Basement Cat and Helga is told that he is powerful and can assist her. A divine presence begins to descend, heralded by the song of a million penguins. Meanwhile. Helga plans to introduce Basement Cat to William, in the hope that he may be restored as a man. She is deep in thought and sings an aria that reflects her deep longing and unrequited love.

On the horizon, we catch a glimpse of William, arriving at the Balm of Bray.

Act Four, Scene Four

Helga has a revelatory moment; if she can find a bush with two birds in it, all will be well. She sets off on a pilgrimage, wearing her famous purple raincoat, with the body of Basement Cat in her bag and her chemistry set beneath her arm.

Act Five, Scene One

Hans and William are at the Balm of Bray; Hans is feeding birdseed to William and wondering how he can restore his humanity.

Act Five, Scene Two

The spirit of Basement Cat has remained in the Chapel. The divine descending presence is revealed to be Ceiling Cat who delivers a pious aria, singing that "My passion for good cannot let you go."

Act Five, Scene Three

We see Helga on her pilgrimage, listening to the sad songs of Nutella, the opera singer/femme fatale, on her iPod and wallowing in her unrequited love. Perhaps through the power of the Basement Cat, she has realised that she must go to the Balm of Bray - perhaps she will find a bird-filled bush there?

She also recalls a moment at the convent, when she noticed a mysterious woman who appears to have a secret. Who was she? What is she hiding?

Act Five, Scene Four

Helga arrives at the Balm of Bray, where there is (conveniently) a porter called Wilfred at the gate; he tells her that the bird-man and his lover are in the square, but there is much unhappiness due to an accident with the sandwiches.

C "I agree on one condition, that you join my flock with no fruitions,we shall do in one mighty purge with a swoop and surge"

Like A Shooting Star, The Illumined Mind, It Gives The Moon Its' Shine

William lands in a clearing and, cursing nature, demands to be made man again. He begins tearing at his feathers.

As the sun begins to set, William sings himself to sleep. Birds settle on trees around him & listen solemnly.

And while mad men cry of lost feasts and wring their briny hands, there is Helga in her cloister. Is it God she hears, or birds?

Helga: "I am so uneasy, my stomach is queasy, there is something about convent life I don't like ...."

Helga cont: "Those habits and wimples, they give a girl pimples! There's something about convent life I don"t like."

Helga: "why did I not think this out? I wanted quiet no doubt. But what made me think I cld do lab work in here? It's SO so drear

Helga:"I must leave, I must go. I miss William so. And the birds, their sweet tweets, their twitters & peeps to them I must go"

But when Helga returns from the convent, she finds Hans hanging around William. Also a lovely actress in stilettos

The darkness of desires the true form of love where are we to go in this dark world the birds and swords

The darkness of desires the true form of love where are we to go in this dark world the birds and swords

the infinities of desires the true wisdom at will the red sun and moon that shine together on the blue sky

]]>http://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-tuesdays-line-by-line-update/feed0Twitter Opera: Where Are We Now?http://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-where-are-we-now
http://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-where-are-we-now#commentsFri, 14 Aug 2009 11:44:48 +0000Royal Opera Househttp://royaloperahouse.wordpress.com/?p=163To be precise, we are at the very start of Act 4, which opens with Helga deciding to leave all these birds / boys / birdboys alone, so that she can be serious in a convent.

Just beforehand, William has turned into a bird, the Fish Sword has started to speak and we have had a brief glimpse at the kingdom of the birds (Umberworld, for some unfathomable reason). There is a hint of a new character (Corbin the Raven, who commands a flight of birds).

The big questions for Act 4 are: What on earth is going to happen to Helga? Will the convent allow her to get on with some serious biochemistry or will it be full of conversational crows? Will William turn back into a human or will he suddenly discover that he's King of the Birds and the ruler of all he surveys in Umberworld? Will someone introduce a really decent, three-dimensional female character (please?)? The choice is yours...

Act 3, Scene 1

Hans tries and fails to rescue William, and finds himself relegated to Umberworld: Kingdom of the Birds, where everything is very iron and magnesium rich as well as being a funny shade of browny-yellow.

Helga, slaving away in her laboratory, finds herself suddenly overwhelmed by the fumes of the potion and collapses to the floor. We see her thoughts writ large, and witness her despair.

Meanwhile - in Aerie - Corbin the raven galvanises a flight of birds to go to Sweet William's aid.

Act 3, Scene 2

William looks desolate from the tower window. "Now I am just a speck of light / Only a spark in time / Now it's a mere piece of dust / This empty life of mine".

The Basement Cat is heard from beyond the grave, inspiring William to carry on. Suddenly William is transformed into a bird.

Act 3, Scene 3

The sword regains it power and speak to Hans: "You are me / And I am you". Hans outstretches his arms and William flies towards him - into his arms.

Act 4, Scene 1

Helga realises that boys and birds are getting in the way of her life's work and retires to a convent, to benefit from the superior facilities.

Hans, wearing an invisibility cape, manages to climb to the top of the tower that William is imprisoned in. However, when he gets to the top, he jumps off and is rescued by a group of itinerant Circus Folk. Meanwhile, Helga is busy at the laboratory, ruminating upon conflict and desire.

Scene Two

The Birds consider their plight. Ceiling Cat and Basement Cat briefly fuse into a single entity, and then all the birds die. The grief tears the two cats apart, and Basement Cat drinks the potion that Helga/Esmerelda intended to give to the Birds. He dies.

Scene Three

Hans goes in search of his missing Fish Sword and, while wandering in the forest, is overwhelmed by the voice of Helga/Esmerelda, prophesying that William will die. Tobermory, apparently having seen the error of his ways, encourages Hans to save William, humankind and all the "beasts and aves" - but as Hans embarks upon his heroic mission, it becomes clear that the magical Fish Sword will not help him. He begs Helga for her potion.

]]>http://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-act-two/feed0Twitter Opera: Act One, Scene Three - a summaryhttp://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-act-one-scene-three-a-summary
http://www.roh.org.uk/news/twitter-opera-act-one-scene-three-a-summary#commentsWed, 12 Aug 2009 18:00:34 +0000Royal Opera Househttp://royaloperahouse.wordpress.com/?p=154The Woman With No Name (Helga / Esmerelda / Iris - delete as appropriate) develops a brief enthusiasm for housework, before sensibly returning to her laboratory to work on her potion. William gazes from the window of his tower and hopes that the birds might fly, en masse, to rescue him; then falls into a reverie, recalling a time when birds and humans could communicate. Helga realises that something is awry, and sings: "Do William and Hans love each other more than me? / Perhaps we should abandon the nuclear family."
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